Analyte detection in physiological fluids, e.g. blood or blood-derived products, is of ever increasing importance to today's society. Analyte detection assays find use in a variety of applications, including clinical laboratory and home testing where the results can play a prominent role in diagnosis and management of various disease conditions. Analytes of interest can include glucose for diabetes management, cholesterol, and the like. In response to this growing importance of analyte detection, a variety of analyte detection protocols and devices for both clinical and home use have been developed.
One common type of system that allows people to conveniently monitor their blood glucose levels includes a sensor (e.g., a disposable test strip) configured to receive a blood sample, and a meter that “reads” the test strip to determine the associated blood-glucose level. The test strip typically includes one end having an electrical contact area for mating with the meter and a second end containing any necessary reagents (e.g., glucose oxidase and a mediator) and electrodes. To initiate testing, the sensor is inserted into the meter and a blood sample is applied to the sample chamber. The meter then applies a voltage to the electrodes thereby causing a redox reaction. Next, the meter measures the resulting charge and/or current and calculates the glucose level based on the reading. After the test, the test strip can be disposed of and new strips can be used for additional testing.
In use, it is often necessary to calibrate the meter with respect to each sensor prior to each use. For example, the sensors to be used may have been produced from different production lots or batches thereby resulting in some manufacturing variability. Also, different types of sensors (e.g., testing for different analytes) can be used with the same meter thereby requiring the meter to recognize the sensor before use. In short, it may be crucial to the accuracy of a test to transfer some information between the meter and the sensor.
Currently, the user is typically required to identify any necessary calibration information (e.g., a calibration code may be printed on a label for a sensor or container of sensors) and further required to manually input the information into the meter. However, calibrating the meter each time a new sensor (or cartridge of sensors) is utilized, or indeed each time the user wishes to perform a test, can be inconvenient, and potentially life-threatening, due to the number of steps involved and the time consuming nature of the process. It is also inconvenient for the user to perform this calibration step, particularly if the required calibration information is printed on the sensor packaging that potentially could have been discarded or if the user is in a hurry, for example, experiencing a period of hypoglycemia, in which case their thought processes could be blurred. Additionally, looking for small print on a label can be problematic for many diabetics, too, as diminished eyesight is often a resultant complication of the disease. Many users may also forget to enter the calibration information or they may decide not to enter the information if they do not understand its significance thereby resulting in an unreliable test and potentially harmful results.
Thus, there remains a need for an easy to use measuring system configured to provide accurate and reliable results.